The Gustafsons

Birthday Time

Eli, our lovable little boy, turned TWO! You can just ask him, he will tell you! He will also put up all five fingers and have you help him put 3 of them down. Eli is such a fun boy who is always moving. And I mean Always. I find him climbing and jumping all over the furniture, doing summersaults, ripping down curtains (I have replaced the same curtain rod 3 times now), jumping off the coffee table/stairs/beds/anything that looks fun, and that's just naming a few of his favorite things. His vocabulary has just exploded. His newest word is "Schlaak." haha Ted and I were shocked when we heard him say, "Lincoln Schlaak" for the first time. He knows his cousins last name before his own. Too funny!

Eli has a very different personality than Hayden does. I know that they say all your kids are different, but Really?!? This different? Hayden has a sensitive spirit and wants to please you all the time. Eli, on the other hand, is decisive/assertive/aggressive and challenges authority. We have won the battle at bed time though, well for the most part anyways. But he is also scared of things that surprise us for him being so tough. It took him several visits to the lake and splash pad before he warmed up to the water. And there will be no blowing bubbles of gum around this little guy. You can just ask Ted about that one.

Eli is starting to express interest in potty training! This is very exciting news for a family with 2 kids in diapers. He has gone potty several times in the toilet and even more times on the floor. That's alright though, we are just excited he wants to try. Oh and the reason he is peeing on the floor is because he thinks he needs to stand. haha

Eli woke up to a cupcake in bed :)

Really? I can eat this Now?

Yum...I like being 2!

So happy to have presents.

Stomp Rocket

Plasma car...Just wiggle the steering wheel and it goes.

Happy Birthday Kyle!

Happy Birthday Mommy and Eli!

Birthday Buddies

Birthday Date

We love our date nights! My sister, Lisa, and her husband, Kyle, watch our kiddos for FREE so we can enjoy some time alone. We love it and can't thank them enough! And in return, we do the same for them while hanging out with some of our dear nieces and nephews. So this date night we enjoyed a little Applebee's and speedway races at Hawkeye Downs. Oh and we celebrated my birthday :) We even left our little baby, Willa, for the first time and it went great.

Daddy giving Willa her 1st bottle.

Willa taking her 1st bottle.

Bunk Beds

We did it! We got the boys bunk beds. We took the front piece off Eli's crib back in March, due to his constant getting out and frequent bumps and bruises along the way. And now that Willa is here, we decided that bunk beds would be the best sleeping arrangement for Hayden and Eli to free up the crib for Willa. So our little toddler is in a big boy bed! We didn't move Hayden into a twin bed until he was 3 and Eli is in one at 2!

First night in the bunk beds:

A bed tent: a tent that attaches to the bed to contain wild toddlers....or so we thought. It was a good try.

Uh-ohh... Willa found her thumb. Yikes!

Leech Lake - Campfires & Cabin

"Camping," as we call it, is never complete without smores! My in-laws, for some reason, don't count staying in a cabin with central air, a dishwasher, oven/stove, microwave, and beds camping. Hmmm....I wonder why. :) But we love it, whatever you call it.

Grandma with Willa, Brooklyn, and Eli

Big boy cousins Hayden and Reuben with little sisters Willa and Gretchen

The 5 (or almost 5) Year Olds!
Trinity, Reuben, Hayden

Papa Joe with matching cousins Willa and Gretchen.

Hayden took this picture of us.

Best seat in the house!

Nap time

Our sleeping arrangements.

This is how these two ended up sleeping :)

Little Willa snoozing away.

Leech Lake - Boating

It's always fun to get the boat out and go tubing and skiing!! The tube was a favorite activity this year with lots of kiddos. Grandpa must be a nicer driver than dear old dad. I always wiped out and was sore for days and the grandkids went over and over and over! Too funny!